Free Tip Tuesday: Vacation Coupons and Deals!

 Frugal Vacationing

I know fall is soon approaching, and this post would have been more appropriate at the beginning of summer, but I always say "Better late than never". Plus with the miserable summers we have been having, fall is a lot better time to go on a vacation if you plan to be out in the open.

So, lets say you have planned a vacation for fall break and you want to make the most of it. Of course you do your research on places to stay and eat. You look up fun places to visit and sight-see. You may get so caught up in the excitement of planning your vacation you may not realize that you are missing an opportunity to save money on your trip.

Tip 1:
Once you have decided where you are going, request a travel catalog or brochure. When hubby and I were trying to decide where to go on our honeymoon we order several free catalogs and brochures for more information on the destinations. A lot of the brochures had coupons for local restaurants and tourist attractions. When you go a vacation you could save money buy only eating food from a local grocery store for breakfast and lunch. You can always eat cheap at a well known fast food restaurant, but when dinner rolls around, you want to try what the local cuisine has in stored. Which leads me to tip number 2.

Tip 2:
Google search restaurants around you vacation area for printable/mobile coupons. Bigger cities have more mobile coupon opportunities. Sign up for email notifications (you can make a special vacation email if you are worried about spam), and mobile notification (you should always be able to opt out once you are done with your vacay).

Tip 3:
Always stop at rest stops/tourist centers as you are entering you destination. When my family was going to the Memphis zoo, we stopped at a tourist center to used to restroom. They offered a discount on ticket to the zoo if you bought them through them. Be sure to research prices a head of time to be sure you are really getting a deal. We were able to save almost $2 per person. That's not a lot, but every bit counts when you are on a budget... more for souvenirs!! Also, look around the rest. They will have brochures that may have local coupons.

Tip 4:
Once again, you are going to want to sample the local cuisine once you hit your destination. When you are on the open road it's hard not to eat every snack food you see at a gas station or rest stop. But highway gas stations and rest stops will gouge you for the convenience. I paid $2 for a pack of M&M's at a rest stop outside of Chicago. When we were leaving Florida to come home, my dad pack us a traveling foods and snacks. This was a 12 hour drive, so we were going to have to eat a some points. My dad bought us a cheap styrofoam cooler (if you take care of them, you can re-use them), filled it with ice, and packed it with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ham sandwiches, and drinks. He also got us candy packs and chips. Buying them from a grocery store is always cheaper than a gas station. By doing this we had extra money to stop in Nashville and enjoy a nice dinner at Hard Rock Cafe and stroll the gift shops.

Tip 5:
If you sign up for freebies/samples like I do, go through them before heading out to buy toiletries for your trip. Sometimes even I forget what types of freebies/samples I have on hand, so going through them to see it you have something with SPF in it, or shampoo/conditioner that you wouldn't be too upset about if it got left behind. Lets be truthful ladies, you really don't want to use that over-drying hotel soap and shampoo (but we still take it home, hahaha!).

Tip 5:
If you live in a big tourist area, request catalogs and brochures for your city. You could find coupons and discounts to place you frequent or have always wanted to try right in your area! I requested brochures to local Kentucky hot spots, and some of them had coupons for water parks and restaurants that I live within 2 hours of. Cheap mini-vacay! Hehehe!

Tip 6:
My last tip is an obscure one, but it is to help those with kids at theme parks, such as Disney World. If you are heading to a theme park with character, your child/children might want an autograph. BRING YOUR OWN PEN! Bring several cheap pens. Otherwise you will pay close to $5 for an ink pen that you more than likely wind up losing (I know from experience), and then have to buy a new one.

Please comment below if you know of any great money saving tips to add to the list!

"Vacations are the coupons on the bonds of industry" - Harry Van Denmark | The Texas Magazine, July 1911